Lost Gold Chronicles: Perfect Enough
by CJ Moliere
Summary: Rumple and Belle are the proud parents of two true love children but when they learn their youngest, Nathaniel has severe eyesight problems Rumple struggles with guilt that it is somehow a punishment for his past misdeeds and learn important lessons about love and perfection along the way.


Even before he was born, Nathaniel Strogoff Gold was a quiet soul. The time before his birth had been an easy one for Belle as he was not a very active baby and even his birth itself had been quick with very little pain. It seemed that while his eldest sister possessed the devious sides of their parents' personalities, Nathaniel had their more gentle traits. Of course, once in a while his devious side would come out but only if he was upset or he wanted to impress his big sister.

Belle and Rumple, knowing that Nathaniel like Hope was a pure true love child, had no reason to believe there was anything wrong with him. When he was learning to walk, he did stumble a bit and had a tendency to bump into things but so had Hope when she was learning but Nathan, as his parents called him did it all the time. And if either of them was standing right in front of him, Nathan would walk right past them and hug whatever he came face to face with thinking it was one of his parents.

"Belle...I think there's something wrong with his eyes," Rumple said worriedly one day when he reached for his son just before Nathan was about to jump off the sofa.

"It could just be..."

"No, sweetheart, I don't think so. We've been so wrapped up in thinking he's perfect that we've been missing all the signs. It's not just that he bumps into everything or walks right past us when we try to get him to come to us. His hand to eye coordination is off. How many times have we watched him eat and saw that he misses his mouth...it's all the time."

"All right. We'll go have him seen by a doctor."

They took him to a specialist in Boston. The couple waited anxiously while the doctor performed his examination on their son. When he was finished he handed the child back to his father.

"Nathaniel has what is commonly known as crossed eyes or strabismus. Basically while most people's eyes line up at the same time to focus on objects...his do not because the muscles in his eyes are not working together as they should which leads to one eye looking at one thing while the other eye looks at another and confusing his brain. Children tend to ignore what their seeing in their weaker eye because that is the command the brain is sending to them," the doctor explained.

"How did it happen?" Rumple asked calmly while inside he felt that somehow it was _his _fault...another punishment for his past.

"I'm convinced he was born with it but don't be alarmed. His muscle control issues can be corrected."

"Does he have to have surgery?" Belle asked fearfully. "He's just a baby...only a year old."

"I'd like to try glasses on him first and if that doesn't help to correct the issue then yes, surgery will be needed."

"Oh Rumple," Belle sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Do what needs to be done," Rumple said.

When they returned home Rumple retreated to the basement to spin at his spinning wheel. He was so focused on his work that he didn't notice the wheel was stopped and he looked up to see Belle standing there, frowning. "This is _not _your fault and it is _not a punishment _so I want you to stop thinking it right now!" she scolded. He lowered his head. "Rumple...look at me," she pleaded, cupping his chin in her hands. "Not everything can be perfect darling and neither can everyone but Nathan is perfect enough for us. We have to be strong for each other and especially our son."

He stood up and kissed her then followed her upstairs to find their son in the middle of a temper tantrum, his glasses on the floor and his toys thrown everywhere.

"No sooner did you leave that he tore them off and started howling like a banshee on fire," Evangeline explained. "My lord, I expected a fit like this from Hope, not him."

"Nathan, you need to wear these...come on dearie," Rumple said gently catching the boy in his arms and attempting to put the glasses back on. "Nathan...owwww!" he cried when the child bit him in arm and escaped only to be caught by Belle who gave the child a swat that stopped him in his tracks.

"No more biting. It's bad!" Belle scolded gently. The child looked over at his father and burst into tears then hugged him. The child was still learning to talk but his actions often said more than his words, just like his mother.

Later that night as they had during the Christmas season since Hope was born and even before her birth Rumple and Belle would bundle their children and themselves into their warmest clothing and drive around Storybrooke looking at the decorated houses at night. Hope was excited and pointed out everything she could see at each house while her small brother sat in silence. Now that his parents knew the reason for it, it broke their hearts even more for some of the houses were decorated beautifully. It seemed that even with the glasses, Nathan's eyesight showed little improvement and he was scheduled for surgery months later. He didn't dare attempt a magical remedy out of fear of doing worse damage to his precious boy.

"You're going to be all right, dearie," Rumple said softly as he gently kissed his son's cheek shortly after he'd been put to sleep for the surgery. "Mommy and Daddy will be right here when you wake up."

"He's gonna be fine, Papa," Bae assured him while he and Tinkerbell sat with them in the waiting room.

"Thank you...for being here. I know you have a lot to do."

"Doctors here can work their own magic, Papa. Nate's going to be okay. He's a strong kid like you and Belle."

Although the surgery process hadn't taken long, their young son's recovery was not so. he had to be closely monitored after the surgery so that he didn't rub his eyes, a habit he had since he was a baby and he fussed when they tried to put his eye drops in so that he didn't develop any infections. There was some improvement in his eyesight after the surgery but he still needed to wear his glasses. Once the child realized he saw better with them, he stopped fussing.

"Nathan, Hope...come on, get your coats on! We're going to see the lights!" Belle called out. It was Christmastime again and several houses in Storybrooke already decorated for the season. "Come on, Daddy's waiting!" she urged. The two toddlers raced down the hall and grabbed their mother's hands. When they got outside their father was already sitting in the driver's seat of the Cadillac with the heater turned on.

"Why we goin' out in the cold?" Nathan asked.

"Cause we're gonna see the lights." Hope answered.

"Huh? Where lights?"

"Daddy's gonna take us to 'em."

"Where lights Daddy?"

"All over Storybrooke, dearie," he said softly.

"They pretty?"

"You'll see," Hope said with a grin.

The first stop they made was to Mifflin Street. Regina and Robin Hood finished decorating the house that morning and turned the lights on as soon as darkness fell. Rumple stopped the car and got out holding Nathan's hand while Belle held Hope's. Hope had been instructed to keep quiet until her brother showed some response to what he was seeing.

"Daddy...lookie...snowman!" Nathan exclaimed, pointing at a light up snowman in the yard.

"Yes..." Rumple croaked as he wept. "There's a snowman in the yard."

"Oooo...tree..." he went on, leading his father over to a lighted tree."See Daddy? Pretty!" He let go of his father's hand then ran over to his mother and Hope. "Mommy, you see the tree?"

"I see it sweetie," Belle murmured, in tears herself.

"You see it?" he asked his sister.

"Uh huh. Can I take him around, Daddy?"

"Yes but you both stay where Mommy and I can see you," he cautioned his daughter.

"I will. C'mon Nate!"

When the children walked away, their overjoyed parents embraced each other while they cried. That was how Regina found them when she opened the door to see who was at her house.

"Rumple, Belle? What's wrong?"

"My boy...he can see your lights now, Regina. He...never could before." Rumple answered hoarsely.

"I didn't know...I'm sorry," she said softly. "That's quite a big secret to keep Rumple. I knew he must've had some sort of eyesight issues when I saw him with glasses and but I had no idea it was that severe. I just assumed that since he was a true love baby he was perfect."

"He's perfect enough for us," Belle said softly and Rumple couldn't agree more.

"Auntie Gina, you got snowman here!" Nathan exclaimed when he and Hope returned. "An a deer, an trees an Santa...an the mean ole Grinch!" he said, indicating an inflatable Grinch.

Regina smiled. "So you like my decorations, Nathan?"

"Uh huh! Pretty!"

"There's more inside too," she said.

"Can we go an see Daddy? Huh? Can we?" Nathan asked.

Rumple smiled as he picked up his excited so. "If Auntie Regina says we can."

"Of course you can. I'll even make some hot chocolate."

"Goody!"

Nathan was racing around the room pointing out every decoration he saw as soon as Rumple set him on his feet inside the house, dragging his older sister behind him. Rumple watched him, smiling softly. Yes, he was perfect enough for them and loved just as much as the rest of his siblings.

**Author's Notes: This story is inspired by events in my own childhood as I have the same condition young Nathan does. **


End file.
